It was an interesting 2020 NFL Draft for the New England Patriots, to say the least.
The Patriots entered this year’s draft with 13 total picks and after multiple trades ended up selecting 10 players. New England addressed multiple needs with these picks, including linebacker, offensive line and even kicker, but Bill Belichick and Co. surprisingly didn’t target two positions over the course of seven rounds.
Despite entering the draft with a clear need at both quarterback and wide receiver, the Patriots didn’t fill those voids until after the draft when they began signing undrafted free agents. It was a strange course of action, for sure, but as Peter King noted in his latest Football Morning In America column for NBC Sports, who are we to question the greatest coach of all time?
“Bill Belichick could take 10 punters and he’d have enough juice built up to evade any criticism—and rightfully so,” King wrote. “(He wouldn’t care if if the ghosts of Grantland Rice and Paul Zimmerman said his draft stunk.) But this was one weird draft for the Patriots. They started with 13 picks, ended up picking 10 players, and took zero at positions of headline need: quarterback and wide receiver. To fill their big holes in the four months since the end of the season, Belichick has acquired Brian Hoyer and Marqise Lee.”
New England signed not one, but two undrafted free-agent quarterbacks: Louisiana Tech’s J’Mar Smith and Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke. The Patriots also have signed four UDFA wideouts thus far: Syracuse’s Sean Riley, Miami’s Jeff Thomas Mississippi State’s Isaiah Zuber and Jarrett Stidham’s former Auburn teammate, Will Hastings.
